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Friday, March 27, 2015

After a few false starts and close cigars, my 120-page crime noir graphic novel STILETTO is now available for English speaking readers. The first of three chapters is up on the online publishing platform Thrillbent and it's FREE. Go check it out here.

The insane cliffhanger at the end of the first chapter is sure to have people coming back for more, even though the next two action-packed chapters will be part of Thrillbent's paid subscription. But it's only $3.99 a month. Dirt cheap!

Thanks to Mark Waid for accepting the book on his site and to Patrick Yurick for establishing the connection. I owe you one, buddy!

Friday, March 13, 2015

While we wait for the first trade of Thomas Alsop to hit the stores April 29, why not recap some of the amazing reviews we got:

This book is as much a story about Thomas Alsop’s personal awakening, as it was a personal awakening for me to see what a comic can truly do as an art form.
— Drunk on Comics Podcast

It’s incredible storytelling from both the writer and the artist and by far one of the best things being published by any company at the moment. Do yourself a favor and check out Thomas Alsop, the only thing you’ll regret is that it took you this long to read it.
— Comic Bastards

With Chris Miskiewicz keeping me on my toes story wise and Palle Schmidt continuing to blow me away with such a gorgeous art style, the team has me on the ride that is Thomas Alsop… It’s not every day that one finds such a great combination of original story and artwork.
— Fangirl Nation

Schmidt’s storytelling is superb and he uses both shading and especially coloring to great effect. Each moment has its own distinct feel and he manages to pull the reader immediately into different times and realms with deceptive ease.
— Bleeding Cool

USA Today called it Best Mini-Series of 2014 and I will be hard pressed to disagree. I haven’t read anything this good in a while…
— Pete’s Basement Podcast

Thomas Alsop has been my one of my favorite reads this year, and should be considered as one of 2014’s best new comics so far. Of course, this is highly recommended and a must pull must read series for all.
— Geek Sushi

This has been one of the most satisfying story arcs in comics that I’ve encountered in a really long time. Fun, funny, crazy, bold, edgy, fantastic, honest, human, tragic… I could go on. Thomas Alsop has become a very real person in just eight issues, and I’m sad to see it end. Score: 5/5
— This Podcast Sucks

Chris Miskiewicz has created a character that I can’t help rooting for, no matter how much of a jerk Alsop can be at times. The artwork by Palle Schmidt is spot on for this kind of tale, setting the right eerie tone without going too far. 10/10
— TMStash

One of the best horror comics on the shelves right now. Seek it out.
— Travelling Man

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Last day here at Periscope Studio in Portland, where I spent most of my weekdays the past weeks since SDCC. I've been working on the penultimate issue of Thomas Alsop, arc 1, and rough sketching the finale. It's powerful stuff, I can tell you. But that's ALL I can tell you...

It's been great working here, in this very cool creative environment, people coming and going. New faces every day, but all friendly and welcoming.

Not a terrible amount of chatting, hardly any music ever, mostly it's an athmosphere of quiet concentration, interrupted by the odd photo reference shoot involving gun replicas and studio members posing in groups, on chairs, on the floors. Studio members have excellent phone habits, going in the hallway to take calls and speaking softly as not to disturb the workflow.

I've learned a lot and made a lot of new friends here, and I even managed to record a few interviews for the Comics for Beginners podcast. I talked to Steve Lieber about Periscope and the advantages of joining a studio. Listen to the episode here.

All in all it's been a great experience working alongside the talented people of Periscope. Now I'm looking forward to a bit of road trip with my family along the Oregon coast before driving up to Seattle, where I have a signing on the 20th at Zanadu Comics downtown. If you're in town, drop by! The signing is from 3-7pm.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

I had a blast at SDCC, promoting Thomas Alsop and hanging with friends, old and new. Some of the newer ones where the guys at makingcomics.com whom I had only previously talked to online. They invited me to sit on a panel Saturday with a bunch of smart people, discussing the future of comics: Rachel Beck from Storyforge, Mark Waid (of Daredevil fame) and Christina Blanch (writer of Damnation of Charlie Wormwood) from Thrillbent, Andy Schmidt from Comics Experience, Jim Zub (writer of Skullkickers, Wayward). A great discussion which was luckily recorded and just went live at http://www.makingcomics.com/2014/08/05/making-comics-sdcc-2014/

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Once again I find myself at the Comic Con in San Diego, surrounded by a few hundred thousand close friends, a lot of them dressed up for the biggest comics party of the year. Or, I should say, the biggest mass media party of the year. The comics part of the show seems to take up less and less floor space while movies, tv and video games expand. The entire city turns into a sideshow, waitresses, store clerks and cab drivers dressing up to welcome the hordes that spill out of the convention centre in a constant flow.

I've previously raved about Trickster, the creator-owned comics event that has been running alongside SDCC the past couple of years, occupying different locations around town. It seems hiring a bar for an event during Comic Con has simply become too costly and as someone who shall remain nameless said to me: "Scott Morse is too busy... Taking over Pixar".

Speaking of absent things, they managed to lose my bag at LAX so the first day here was spent shopping for clothes and toothpaste. The worst thing to be missing was the comics in my bag, including the hardcover edition of my book STILETTO that I really wanted to show people. I had to make due with the sample that was in my hand luggage. And luckily my wife and kids that are travelling with me did not lose anything.

Another thing that's different this year, is that I have a monthly book out (Thomas Alsop from BOOM! Studios, for those who just woke up from a coma and don't know what's been happening). My graphic novel The Devil's Concubine came out over here in 2011, but the amount of attention this year is a hundred times what that book got. It's great to bump into strangers, other creators and retailers, and have them say "Oh yeah, I love that book!" when you tell them what you're working on. If you want to read a bunch of really great reviews, go to thomasalsop.com/press.

I've also been invited to sit on a couple of panels this year, the first about breaking in to comics. It was good to meet other creators and hear their stories on how they got started in comics. The recurring theme was that hard work is needed, if you want to succeed in this field - but it's not impossible.

My partner, writer Chris Miskiewicz, and I both attended the panel and after that went straight to our first common signing at the BOOM! booth. An important part of this trip has been about meeting our editors, who we only spoke with over email and Skype, and to get to know the others at the office better. We're both floored by how hard working, competent and just plain nice the people at BOOM! are and we are very grateful to have been picked up by that company. They're good people. Thursday night after the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) party, we spent the rest of the night - and most of the morning - hanging out with BOOM! at their party at the Hilton.

This last day here I'll be attending another panel with the folks at Making Comics and other smart people like Mark Waid, Andy Schmidt (no relation) and Jim Zub. Am I nervous? Hell yes! But I'm also really looking forward to meet more creative people - the best drug I know of.

Tomorrow we fly to Portland, where I'll be spending a couple of weeks working on the next issue of Thomas Alsop out of Periscope Studios. I also managed to set up a signing at Zanadu Comics in Seattle on the 20th of August, the day issue #3 comes out. I'm also looking forward to just relaxing a little bit with the family in one of the coolest areas I know in the US; The Pacific Northwest.

And the good news: They found my bag and it arrived at the hotel this morning, saving me another trip to the mall to buy a fresh shirt.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

I'm packing up my family to fly to San Diego for my 4th Comic Con. Last year was a great success for me as my partner Chris and I pitched our book Thomas Alsop to several publishers, the first of which was BOOM! As you probably know, the book was picked up and issue #2 of 8 just hit the stands. So SDCC this year will be a lot of promotion as well as networking.

If you want to be up to speed on Thomas Alsop so far, go to thomasalsop.com.

If you're in San Diego for Comic Con, be sure to come and see me on the "Breaking into Comics Right Now” panel on Thursday, July 24 from 1PM to 2PM. Or meet me at BOOM!, booth #2229, for the signing of Thomas Alsop right after the panel.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

I've been getting a lot of questions on where people can get their hands on Thomas Alsop, our new book from Boom! Studios. And luckily I have a few answers!

If you're in the US, Canada or any other English speaking country there's a good chance your local comics store has it - or can at least order it for you. Don't know where there's a comics store near you? ComicShopLocator can help.